Empowering Rural Women for Self-Reliance: Amuna Tamang’s Journey to Sustainable Agriculture in Jhule, Dolakha

Amuna Tamang, a 42-year-old resident of Tamakoshi Rural Municipality, Ward No. 2, Jhule, Dolakha, faces the daily challenges of raising her three daughters. Her husband migrated to the Middle East seven years ago and has had no contact with her, leaving her to bear the sole responsibility for providing food and education for her children. In this challenging situation, Amuna became a member of the Makhamali self-help group (SHG).

As an SHG member, Amuna was introduced to various self-reliance activities aimed at improving her livelihood. She actively engaged in the group’s regular meetings, gained a deep understanding of the project’s objectives and activities, and developed a keen interest in farming. With support from the project, she received training in cultivating high-value crops, growing offseason produce, and organic manure production. This training equipped her with the skills needed to cultivate a variety of vegetable crops, enabling her to earn a livelihood through farming and reducing her reliance on daily wage labor.

In addition to expanding her farming activities, Amuna increased her goat herd and now tends to 15 goats. She ventured into seasonal and off-season vegetable cultivation, including cauliflower, cabbage, radish, potato, peas, and tree tomatoes. She also engaged in poultry farming and kiwi fruit cultivation, with invaluable input and technical assistance from the project.

Amuna’s efforts have borne fruit, both literally and figuratively. She now generates a significant income by selling her agricultural produce. In this season alone, she earned NPR 80,000.00 by selling potatoes, marketing her agricultural commodities at a local market, Chhaude Hat, in close proximity. Her daily routine has transformed, with most of her time dedicated to cultivating a diverse range of vegetables. Thanks to her hard work and the support she received from the project, two of her daughters are pursuing higher education in Kathmandu, while her youngest daughter is attending class 10 in the village.

Reflecting on her journey, Amuna Tamang expressed her gratitude, saying, “After initially facing immense hardships in my life, I can now provide a quality education to my daughters. I am content with my farming and intend to continue it in the future. I am sincerely thankful to RRN for providing us with interventions that have empowered and supported us.”

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